Such a watertight investigation, treating her as the sole criminal, searching for evidence of her guilt.

Secretary Jin had always felt that even if her comings and goings from the office were revealed, Qin Xian would investigate out of thoroughness, but not to such an extreme degree. That's why she hadn't deleted the security footage in a suspicious attempt to cover her tracks.

She truly hadn't expected Qin Xian to be so cold and ruthless in dealing with matters related to her.

Secretary Jin collapsed pathetically on the ground, devastated by this realization.

But the person even more devastated was Tang Jun.

"You really did this? Why? Why?" Tang Jun's eyes were red, his emotions extremely agitated as he grabbed Secretary Jin's arm, frantically questioning her.

Director Tang felt his son was making a fool of himself and quickly pulled Tang Jun back. "What else could it be but jealousy? She wanted to push out Mrs. Qin and take her place."

Tang Jun, however, was like he'd been struck by lightning. "You like Qin Xian? No, impossible!"

Director Tang wanted to facepalm. How blind could his son be, not to see what everyone else had noticed?

Ji Fei felt the same way.

[Tang Jun is truly blind, isn't he? He likes Secretary Jin so much, yet he had no idea she was in love with Qin Xian!]

Ji Fei had just finished this inner monologue when she looked up to see a flash of astonishment in Qin Xian's otherwise calm expression.

[Good heavens, don't tell me Qin Xian never realized Secretary Jin was in love with him! What kind of oblivious man is he?]

Qin Xian's ears were already burning with embarrassment from Ji Fei's thoughts, his handsome face gradually becoming unnatural.

What was going on? Wasn't this supposed to be about enemies bribing Secretary Jin to steal trade secrets and framing Ji Fei?

Secretary Jin liked him? How was that possible? Wasn't she...

"No, no, it's not like that! I had no selfish motives!" Secretary Jin suddenly cried out in panic.

She nervously looked at Qin Xian and said, "I admit I did these things, but it's absolutely not what everyone thinks! I did it to help Yu Zhi!"

In an instant, the entire room fell silent.

Yu Zhi, that was...

Qin Xian's expression changed slightly. "What did you say?"

Secretary Jin hurriedly explained, "Yu Zhi is coming back to the country."

Qin Xian's pupils trembled slightly, and he uncomfortably glanced at Ji Fei.

Ji Fei: [Yu Zhi, I know her. Qin Xian's first love, the girlfriend who ruthlessly abandoned him years ago. They were once the golden couple, talented and beautiful, the most well-matched pair in their wealthy circle.]

Qin Xian: ...You know about that too...

Ji Fei: [But what does this have to do with Secretary Jin?]

Qin Xian looked at Secretary Jin seriously. Yes, what did this have to do with what she had done?

Secretary Jin, as if grasping at a lifeline, blurted out, "Yu Zhi and I are best friends. When she left you back then, it was because she had no choice. I didn't want you two to miss out on your destiny because of a misunderstanding. I knew you wouldn't divorce easily, so I was willing to be the villain, hoping to give you and Yu Zhi a chance."

After saying this, Secretary Jin lowered her head, looking distressed, as if she had been forced into this difficult position.

Secretary Jin was indeed Yu Zhi's best friend. It was because of this connection that they had become familiar. Otherwise, when she was hired into the company, they wouldn't have felt comfortable letting her take the position of secretary, giving her the utmost trust.

During their innocent college days, Secretary Jin had witnessed their entire relationship, occasionally even helping to bring them together. So when he heard people speculating that Secretary Jin liked him, Qin Xian had thought it impossible.

The people present were all somewhat surprised, feeling as if there had been an unexpected twist. But few believed her, after all, no one was blind – Secretary Jin's heart and eyes were full of nothing but Qin Xian.

However, it was the first time they had heard that Secretary Jin was the best friend of Qin Xian's first love.

She had never revealed even a hint of this before. Everyone could now see what her intentions had been.

Wait, there was an even bigger piece of gossip.

Qin Xian's first love was coming back? Their breakup had been a misunderstanding?

Everyone's eyes furtively darted to Qin Xian, expecting him to ask questions, but Mrs. Qin, Ji Fei, was right there.

Everyone got excited – drama was brewing!

[What 'no choice,' what 'misunderstanding,' I think...]

Qin Xian quickly interrupted. He didn't want Ji Fei prying into his past.

"For your own selfish desires, you've caused our company such great losses and even implicated and framed others. No reason can excuse you from being held accountable," Qin Xian coldly declared.

[Right, right, right. Moreover, the reason is clearly made up.] Ji Fei's attention was immediately diverted. After all, it's a common problem for young people to have difficulty concentrating. [But why suddenly make up this reason? Let me see!]

Qin Xian had intended to discuss the handling of the matter, but hearing this, he also became somewhat curious.

[Oh! She had always been hinting, directly and indirectly, at her special relationship with Qin Xian, trying to provoke me into making a fuss. She wanted to slowly drive me away, then win over Qin Xian. But she didn't expect Yu Zhi to return to the country. She knows she's no match for the first love, so she wanted to buy herself some time to become Mrs. Qin before Yu Zhi's return.]

[No wonder she was in such a hurry to frame me, not caring about how many flaws her trap had.]

[Now that she's been exposed, she can only use Yu Zhi as an excuse, pretending that she did everything for someone else's sake and just got confused for a moment. This way, Qin Xian might go easy on her. But if Qin Xian finds out she likes him, and that everything was done for her own selfish desires, Qin Xian definitely won't let her off, and she'll never have another chance.]

[Haha, she's really grasping at straws now. Even if Qin Xian were that stupid, he wouldn't believe this excuse, right?]

Qin Xian, who had almost believed it a little: ...

Thinking back on various past incidents, every time Ji Fei came to see him calmly, it wouldn't be long before she and Secretary Jin would start quarreling. Yet Secretary Jin always played the role of the wronged and helpless victim, making Ji Fei seem increasingly crazy.

Qin Xian had always thought it was Ji Fei's problem, but now, thinking about it, he felt incredibly guilty.

He also grew increasingly disgusted with Secretary Jin.

He had no interest in questioning her further and coldly said, "Call the police to handle this."

Secretary Jin suddenly looked up, as if all the strength had been drained from her body in an instant. In disbelief, she said, "Qin Xian, I did it for..."

"Whatever you have to say, tell it to the police."

Qin Xian's cold decisiveness made everyone's hearts tighten. In the end, he had chosen the most severe way to handle it.

"Qin Xian!" Secretary Jin broke down in a frenzy, trying to grab Qin Xian, but he avoided her. She pointed at Ji Fei in fury and frustration, "When it comes to her, you're willing to divorce and give her a way out. Why are you so harsh with me? Even if I don't have any merit, I've put in effort. I've followed you for ten years, and this is how you treat me?"

Only then did Qin Xian look at her. "Because you're not my wife."

This single sentence seemed to hide many layers of meaning, piercing like a sharp sword through the chest.

Secretary Jin was dumbfounded.

Soon after, the relevant personnel were taken away by the police, and Ji Fei was also compelled to make a trip to the police station.

During this time, Tang Jun actually tried to take responsibility onto himself, because he believed Secretary Jin's lie about helping her best friend. He continued to act like a lovesick puppy, angering Director Tang so much that he fainted.

Fortunately, the evidence was conclusive, and Tang Jun couldn't take the blame even if he wanted to.

The last time they saw Secretary Jin, she was frantically shouting at Ji Fei, "When Yu Zhi comes back, Qin Xian will definitely divorce you. Don't celebrate too early!"

What a villainous line! Yet Ji Fei's mind was full of anticipation: [Really?! Then hurry up!]

...

Spoiler warning

...

(Don't worry, the male lead is clean in body and mind, not toxic. The female lead will never be wronged, and the story remains lighthearted and funny till the end.)